


The Robin's Red Glare (The Anacreon in Heaven remix)

by Petra



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Alternate Universe, Challenge: remixredux, Did Our Duty For Archive And Fandom, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-02
Updated: 2006-04-02
Packaged: 2017-10-11 19:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/115851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petra/pseuds/Petra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are things Robin can't say in front of his mentor, but Batman's partner really needs to hear them. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Robin's Red Glare (The Anacreon in Heaven remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Robin's Red Glare](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/1471) by Basingstoke. 



> Original story by [](http://basingstoke.livejournal.com/profile)[**basingstoke**](http://basingstoke.livejournal.com/). Written for [](http://remixredux.livejournal.com/profile)[**remixredux**](http://remixredux.livejournal.com/).
> 
> Sequel: [Sons of Harmony](http://teland.com/sonsof.html) by Te.

Jason almost never felt like a sidekick instead of a partner -- Dick was really careful about that -- except when it came to Batman. Sometimes Batman had information Nightwing needed, and Nightwing handled the call. Sometimes he had information to share, but still -- it was all him. Jason knew the secrets because Dick always turned the television off when Wayne Enterprises was on the news and because he wasn't just there to be a pretty face. He didn't get to meet Batman face to face for a year after he started, let alone Batman's partner.

When he got a good look at the guy who replaced Dick -- top of a building, East Gotham, waiting for Freeze's goons to crack -- the kid freaked him out. Cold as it gets, smooth as Batman, and really short, too. Dick was short, back when he was Robin, but this kid was scrawny on top of being short.

If he didn't have the vigilante stare down, Jason wouldn't have believed he could do the job.

It was six months from when they first met before they had a chance to talk to each other about anything but the job. Jason wasn't about to start a conversation while Batman was around, and he had questions he wanted to ask this Redbird kid that would make Dick not so happy.

The long wait meant a lot of time to figure out how to phrase the question to get to the mini-Batman and make him answer. So when they were staking out a charming little crackhouse, waiting to hear whether the big guys had taken out the Riddler or whether he would head over, Jason practiced his stretching for a good five minutes before he said, "You think we can get them to be more efficient?"

It made Baby Batman frown, or maybe it was just his focused face. "They work well together."

"Like India works with freakin' Asia, yeah. Things get done but they'd be better off if they'd just talk."

"I don't think they can," the kid said. Redbird, right, with his red-and-black not-a-Robin-at-all costume.

Jason shrugged. "They gotta try. Whenever we team up, Nightwing gets all angry for a while, and then sad." And if Dick was listening, Jason couldn't say that stuff. You couldn't badmouth your partner even to somebody who was supposed to be an ally. It wasn't fair.

But it was definitely true.

Redbird looked all Batman-thinking. "I've noticed similar effects."

Jason blinked. "In Nightwing?"

"No."

"Oh, right." Jason shook his head and tried to think of what Batman might look like when he was irritated. Didn't seem like a nice guy to be around. "That's gotta be rough."

"On all of us." Redbird readjusted his cape a little. "There's a great deal of tension there."

"Well," Jason said, "I think it's kind of our job to fix it. Right? I mean, we're the -- the junior partners. Robin is for making bad puns and -- and making the big guy smile." He didn't have to add that calling Nightwing the 'big guy' was really ridiculous, these days; they were the same height and Jason outweighed Dick by a good twenty pounds of muscle.

"Hm," Redbird said, and paused like that was some kind of full sentence. "I'm not sure how to approach the matter."

"We could ask Oracle." She always made a face at Jason, but it wasn't a bad face until he started flirting with her. Then they'd end up sparring, and maybe Babs wasn't as mobile as she used to be, but she could still take him down.

Redbird looks a little surprised. Jason counts that as more points than he's scored since the first time he snuck up on Dick. Something about Redbird's Bat-unflappability made Jason want to do whatever it took to freak him out. "Do you think she can help?"

"If she's willing to put up with them long enough." Jason shrugged. "She keeps telling D -- Nightwing -- to call Batman, and he won't. She thinks they're both being idiots."

"A -- A friend of Batman's says the same thing to him quite often," Redbird said.

"So we'll have to get her to get them in the same place at the same time." The comm in Jason's ear crackled to life. Judging from Redbird's twitch, he had Batman's voice in his ear, too.

Redbird did the handsign that meant, "Talk later," and Jason realized where Dick learned his, but there was no time to chat about shared knowledge with the kid right then. The Riddler was four blocks away and closing fast.

*

Oracle had her own operatives and connections. Without them, she could never have gotten Batman and Nightwing locked in a government-constructed bunker guarded by Superman of all people. She had recorders on them the whole time and she gave Robin and Redbird updates.

Ten minutes in, all she said was, "Nobody's dead yet." Jason would've asked for more information except Redbird had spotted twin henchmen going into the bar he was watching, and when there were twins operating in town, nobody had time to ask about nonfatal wounds.

"Dent," Redbird said when Jason caught up to him. He didn't say it like Dick would've, with that mixture of hatred, fear, and sympathy Dick always managed when he was talking about Two-Face.

There was something a lot more wistful about Redbird when he said what Jason had already guessed. It had to come from his mentor -- or from some encounter Batman hadn't called Nightwing to help with and hadn't bothered to discuss with him.

"You think we need backup?" Jason asked. He knew Two-Face's shtick and how completely deadly and logical he could be at the same time.

It actually made Redbird smile. The tight little expression sent chills down Jason's spine. "Why should we? Two of us, two of him."

Jason shook his head. "You've faced him -- I mean -- dammit. You've fought him, right?"

Redbird nodded.

"So you know he's not -- I mean, I know you're kickass, but --"

"Come on, Robin," Redbird said, taking out a deadly sharp batarang. "It's not the Joker."

"I heard that," Oracle said over the comm while Jason was still speechless. "Nightwing was just asking whether you'd gotten anyone in trouble, Robin."

"Me?" Jason shook his head. "I'm thinking I want backup going after Two-Face and Redbird here is overconfident."

"Not unlike his mentor, who has just allowed Nightwing to punch him in the face," Oracle said dryly.

"He what?" Redbird said.

Oracle's chuckle, mixed through a voice synthesizer, was way creepier than Babs' actual laughter. "Nightwing helped him up and apologized. It's been cathartic."

"What's the ETA on getting a little backup?" Jason asked, keeping an eye on the bar they were watching.

"Unclear," Oracle said. "I'll update you when the concerned parties are no longer embracing."

"Embracing." Jason was relieved that at least Redbird looked totally confused by this, too. Score one for the big guys -- they might've been smacking each other around and acting like three year olds, but they still managed to confuse the hell out of their partners.

Oracle chuckled again. "Family reunions are like that sometimes. Oh -- and Batman says wait for them, ETA one minute, don't go after Dent."

Jason tapped his comm. "Redbird, are you copying this?"

"ETA forty-five seconds," Redbird said, dead calm, like he knew Batman had ready access to a teleporter.

"Thirty," Oracle said a few moments later. "I take it you're both sufficiently armed?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Jason said. "So -- how are they getting here?"

The sound of an incoming plane -- no -- Superman -- finally tipped him off.

One argumentative, windblown mentor-figure under each arm, and a big grin. "Good evening, Robin. Redbird."

Jason grinned back. He couldn't not. "Hey, Superman."

Batman looked a lot less tousled than Nightwing did, but that was just the cowl doing its work. "We need a pincer strategy to make sure Harvey doesn't escape. Robin, back me up."

Redbird said, "Batman?" incredulously as Batman jumped off the roof. Jason wanted to splutter just as much, but he saw Nightwing nod slightly and there wasn't any time to ask hard questions.

The discussion would just have to wait until the bad guys were under control. Same as always.


End file.
